Electrical connector assembly



June 2, 1970' Q E. L. BEINHAUR ET AL 3,515,794

V ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY 966 Filed- Aug 1 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4": II: I

June 2, 1970 v E. L. BEINHAQR ETA 3,515,794

- ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed 1968 '4 Shets-Sheet 2 June 2, 1970 BElNHAUR ET AL 3,515,794

ELEQTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed Aug 15 1958 4 Sheets-Sh'eet 5 June 2, 1970 E. L. BEI'NH'AUR ETAL' ELECTRICAL conmacwon ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-sheet 4.

Filed mg. 13. 1968 United States Patent 3,515,794 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Ernest Lloyd Beinliaur, Harrisburg, and Frederick William Wahl, Middletown, Pa., assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 548,541, May 9, 1966. This application Aug. 13, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. H02g 15/08 US. Cl. 17490 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 548,541, filed May 9, 1966, now abandoned SPECIFICATION This invention relates to an electrical connector and more particularly to an electrical connector for use on utility conductors.

In the utility field, utility conductors generally take the form of aluminum conductors surrounding a steel reinforcing center of one or more strands commonly referred to as ACSR, however, other types of conductors such as, for example, all aluminum, copper or the like, may advantageously be used. Heretofore, the connectors used to splice the utility conductors or dead-end them have been etfected by crimping the connector to the conductors or by inserting the conductors within movable jaws located within a tapered inside surface of a body with force being applied to the conductors causing the jaws to grip the conductors via a wedging action. In the crimped version, in order to make the termination, more than one man is needed, bulky and expensive equipment is needed, it is time consuming and numerous operations to effect the termination increase the possibility of error. To make a termination in the movable jaw version, pretensioning of the conductors is necessary to lock the movable jaws onto the conductors, sag becomes a prevalent factor because changing loads causes movement of the jaws in the connector assembly, reliability is unsatisfactory and effecting the termination is time consuming.

An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly for effectively terminating utility conductor means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly to terminate utility conductor means with a minimum of effort, by a single person in a short time and with tooling that is not bulky or expensive.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an electrical connector assembly which is effectively terminated on utility conductor means by explosive means.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly having a locking arrangement therein.

A still further object of the invention is the provision "Ice of an electrical connector assembly having movable jaw means forcefully driven by a force-driving means to wedgingly engage utility conductor means to effect a termination.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly having force-driving means to forcefully drive first and second movable jaw means into Wedging and locking engagement with utility conductor means.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide explosive means disposed in the body of the connector assembly which when operated forcefully drives compressible jaw means into engagement with conductor means.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a I reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings.

The foregoing and other objects are achieved by a preferred embodiment of an electrical connector assembly securable on electrical conductor means comprising a hollow shell having a tapered internal surface, conductor-receiving means within the hollow shell and including a plurality of conductor-gripping means compressibe on the conductor means, force-driving means in the hollow shell and engageable with the conductor-receiving means, and explosively-operated means engageable with the force-driving means to actuate the force-driving means to drive the conductor-receiving means along the tapered internal surface and compress the conductor-gripping means on the conductor means.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly terminated on utility conductor means;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one-half of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1 in a nonterminated condition;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the halfof the electrical connector assembly terminated on a utility conductor means;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along lines 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along lines 77 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a partial view illustrating the looking arrangement of part of the force driving means of the connector assembly;

FIGS. 9 and 10' illustrate different stages of operation to drive the wedge member within the body section and lock the wedge member in position therein; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are views similar to those of FIGS. 2 and 3 showing an embodiment of the invention.

Turning now to the drawings, the connector assembly CA is illustrated which is a preferred embodiment of the invention for terminating the ends of utility conductor means of the ACS R type, however, it is to be understood that the invention can be used to terminate other types of utility conductor means and it can be used to effect a dead-end termination. Connector assembly CA comprises a body or wedge-carrying section 1 and hollow shells 2 extending outwardly from eachend of section 1. Wedge-carrying section 1 is provided with openings 3 extending therethrough from one side to the other. A beveled surface 4 is located in each opening 3. An annular member 5 extends outwardly from each end of section 1 and is provided with threads 6 thereon. An annular recess 7 is centrally located in each annular member 5 and an opening 8 extends between annular recess 7 and opening 3. Beveled surface 4 extends between opening 8 and one end of opening 3 to delimit opening 3 at this end.

Openings 3 receive wedge members 9 therein, the wedge members having parallel sides and a tapered surface 10 extending between one of the sides and a leading edge 11.

A force-driving member 12 has a shaft 13 movably mounted in opening 8 and an annular head 14 normally disposed in annular recess 7. As can be discerned from FIG. 2, part of shaft 13 is disposed in opening 3 and the free end of shaft 13 is rounded for engagement with tapered surface 10 of wedge member 9. Force-driving member 12 and wedge member 9 define force-driving means.

Each of hollow shells 2 has an internal tapered surface 15 which is provided with internal threads at the inner end to threadably mount the hollow shells onto threads 6 of annular members 5. Two pairs of movable jaw members 16 and 17 are disposed in each of hollow shells 2. Jaw members 16 have an arcuate tapered external surface 18 and flat internal surfaces 19. As can be discerned, external surfaces 18 are in engagement with tapered surface 15. Flat surfaces 19 have recesses 20 disposed therein and steel gripping members 21 are secured in these recesses. Gripping members 21 have spaced teeth 22 extending outwardly from fiat surfaces 19. Each of spaced teeth 22 is provided with an arcuate recess 23. The surface of arcuate recesses 23 is provided with grooves to define a threaded con-figuration or a serrated configuration. Teeth 22 of one gripping member are disposed between teeth 22 of the other gripping member so that arcuate recesses 23 define a longitudinal circular opening as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Jaw members 17 have arcuate external surfaces 24 which are tapered and arcuate internal surfaces 25 which are concentric with the longitudinal axis of hollow shell 2. External surfaces 24 are in engagement with internal surface 15. Internal surfaces 25 are also serrated along their length. Jaw members 17 have parallel fiat surface 26. An annular member 27 is disposed on tapered surface 15 at the outer ends of jaw members 17 and include a projection 28 onto which the ends of the jaw members rest to maintain the front sections of external surfaces 24 in engagement with tapered surface 15. Annular member 27 is provided with a beveled surface 29 to facilitate the insertion of a utility conductor means within the jaw members. Annular member 27 is preferably made from a suitable plastic material.

An annular spacer 30 of a suitable plastic material or material of softer consistency than the jaw members is disposed between jaw members 16 and 17 and includes a beveled opening 31. The leading end of spacer 30 is provided with lugs 32 which mate with cavities 33 located in the rear surfaces of jaw members 17 to maintain the rear ends of the jaw members in engagement with tapered surface 15. Arcuate recesses 34 are located in the trailing end of annular spacer 30 and these front ends of jaws members 16 as illustrated in FIG. 7 to maintain the jaw members in a normally inoperative position. As can be discerned from FIG. 7, lugs 32 disposed in cavities .33 and arcuate sections 35 disposed in arcuate recesses 34 provide a polarizing arrangement between jaw members 16 and 17 so that jaw members 16 are disposed in a direction which is at right angles to the disposition of jaw members 17.

In operation, jaw members 16 and 17 are in their normally inoperative position as illustrated in FIG. Utility conductor means 36 of the ACSR type have their ends prepared by removing the aluminum conductor surrounding the steel strands as illustrated in. FIG. 3 so as to bare a length of the steel strands. One of connector means 36 is inserted within hollow shell 2 until the bared steel strands abut against head 14 of forcedriving member 12 and the cut end of the aluminum conductors is disposed in beveled opening 31 of spacer 30. Wedge member 9 is placed within opening 3 and a tool 4 T (FIGS. 9 and 10) is used to forcefully drive wedge member 9. within opening 3.

Tool T comprises a frame 39 having an anvil section 40 to effect a swaging or riveting operation on wedge member 9. Anvil section 40 comprises an engaging section 41 against which one end of body section 1 engages and a die section 42 which has a sharp edge against which the leading edge of wedge member 9 forcefully engages to strike out a portion 37 therefrom in a riveting manner. A flat section 43 is located on frame 39 on which body section 1 rests.

A space is provided between die section 42 and flat section 43 into which the leading edge of wedge member 9 moves to permit the riveting operation to be effected. A driving member 44 engages the wedge member to forcefully drive the wedge member within opening 3 of body section 1 and against die section 42. Tool T can take any form, but it is preferably of the type disclosed in US. Pat. application, Ser. No. 341,282, filed Jan. 30, 1964, now US. Pat. No. 3,292,363 and assigned to the present assignee.

Upon wedge member 9 being forcefully driven within opening 3 by tool T, tapered surface 10 of wedge member 9 forcefully drives force-driving member 12 in an outward direction within hollow shell 2 which in turn forcefully drives jaw members 16 and 17 along internal tapered surface 15 thereof in a forceful manner. As jaw members 17 move along tapered surface 15, they are forcefully driven into wedging and gripping engagement with the aluminum conductors of conductor means 36 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Serrated surfaces 25 of jaw members 17 neck down the aluminum strands and bite into the strands to break down the oxide coating to increase the conductivity of the termination. Jaw members 16 continue to move along tapered surface 15 by deforming spacer 30 until these jaw members cause steel gripping members 21 to wedgingly grip the steel strands of conductor means 36 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Since jaw members 16 and 17 are disposed at right angles with respect to each other, jaw members 17 exert pressure in one direction while jaw members 16 exert pressure in a direction at right angles; this arrangement creates a locking arrangement which is always under spring tension. As can be discerned, the rounded end of shaft 13 is disposed against the shorter of the parallel sides of wedge member 9 which maintains force-driving member 12 in a locked position.

Wedge member 9 is locked within opening 3 by means of a portion 37 of leading edge 11 of wedge member 9 being struck out therefrom in engagement with body section 1 during the forceful driving of wedge member 9 within opening 3 so as to positively lock the wedge memher in position in opening 3 and maintain force-driving member 12 in a locked position. The locking of wedge member 9 in opening 3 is performed in accordance with the teaching of US. Pat. application, Ser. No. 341,223, filed Jan. 30, 1964, now abandoned, assigned to the present assignee. The same procedure is followed to terminate the other utility conductor means in other hollow shell 2 of the connector assembly to effectively terminate the ends of utility conductor means as illustrated in FIG. 1. Of course, only one-half of the connector assembly need be used to provide a dead-end termination for the utility conductor means.

Depending upon the size of the conductor means to be terminated, section 1 may be provided with only a single wedge member to terminate conductor means in hollow shells 2, the single wedge member would simultaneously drive force driving members 12 in an outward direction to forcefully drive jaw members 16 and 17 into wedging engagement with the conductor means. The external surfaces of the jaw members engage tapered surface 15 along their entirety to provide large contact area therebetween. Instead of shells 2 being threadably secured on section 1, they can be secured thereto in any other suitable mannersuch as, for example, by welding or the like. Sealing members may be placed at the ends of the ,shell members to minimize corrosion in the area of termination. If' a conductor means of one metal is used, such as, for example, an all aluminum stranded conductor means, a single pair of jaw members of the type similar to jaw members 17 is used to be forcefully and wedgingly driven into engagement with the conductor means by wedge member 9 and force-driving member 12. The termination effected by the present connector assembly .is about equal to or in excess of the strength of the conductor means depending on several variables.

In order to increase pull-out between the connector assembly and conductor means of an ACSR utility conductor, abrasive material of 100-200- mesh such as, for example, silicon or carborundum dust of the like, is sus pended in light weight liquid of low viscosity, such as for example, light weight machine oil, and this combination is applied to the part of the aluminum conductors to be disposed in jaw member 16. This combination acts as an inhibitor against corrosion, penetrates between the strands of the cable to deposit the abrasive material between the strands to provide frictional resistance between the strands to increase pull-out and increases the electrical conductivity because the abrasive effect of the abrasive material as a result of the strands being compressed by the jaw members breaks down the oxide coating on the strands. The abrasive material is effectively used on all stranded conductor means or the like.

The amount of sag in using the present connector assembly is negligible once termination has been effected due to the jaws being positively driven into final position along the hollow shells and into wedging engagement with the conductor means. Pretensioning of the conductor means to move the jaw members into wedging and gripping engagement with the conductor means is precluded. I aw members 16 and 17 can be provided with fiat surfaces 38 to effect a slight amount of ovaling to hollow shells 2 when the jaw members are forcefully driven into their terminating positions as a results of the fiat surfaces to obtain better spring characteristics between the hollow shells and the jaw members.

Turning now to FIGS. 11 and 12, body member 1 is provided with an explosive charge 45 in chamber 46 at the inner ends of shafts 13 of force driving members 12. Sealing members 47 are disposed within chamber 46 between charge 45 and the ends of shafts 13. A plug 48 is threadably mounted in threaded hole 49 in body member 1 and it is provided with a hole 50 extending therethrough. A pin 51 is positioned in hole 50 and it is insulated from plug 48 via dielectric sleeve 52 surrounding pin 51. Of course, plug 48 could be made from dielectric material.

To ignite explosive charge 45, one side of an electrical source of supply such as, for example, a battery, is connected to pin 51 and the other side is connected to body member 1 or shells 2 via a switch. When the switch is operated, the electrical source of supply ignites explosive charge 45 thereby causing force driving members 12 to forcefully drive jaw members 16 and 17 along the internal tapered surfaces 24 of shells 2 and into engagement with the steel strands and conductor strands of conductor 36 in the same manner as that disclosed in conjunction with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-10. Sealing members 47 and dielectric sleeve 52 prevent leakage of explosive gas from chamber 46.

Explosive charge 45 can, of course, be ignited in accordance with conventional mechanical ignition means to accomplish the same result.

As can be discerned, there has been disclosed a unique and novel connector assembly to effectively terminate utility conductor means in a small amount of time and with a minimum of equipment.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the following:

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising a body section having an opening therein, a wedge member positionable within said opening, a hollow shell extending outwardly from one end of said body section, said hollow shell having a tapered internal surface, a force-driving member movably disposed in said body section, two pairs of jaw members disposed along said tapered internal surface with one of the two repairs of jaw members in front of the other of the two pairs of jaw members, said force-driving member having one end in engagement with one of said pairs of jaw members and another end located in said opening for engagement by said wedge member, and means provided between said two pairs of jaw members maintaining one of the two pairs of jaw members at an angular disposition with respect to the other of the two pairs of jaw members.

2. An electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the maintaining means maintains the one pair of said two pairs of jaw members sulbstantially at right angles with respect to the other pair of said two pairs of jaw members.

3. An electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said maintaining means defines polarizing means.

4. An electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said maintaining means defines spacer means disposed between said two pairs of jaw members, said spacer means being made of material of softer consistency than said jaw members.

5. An electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein means is provided to maintain said jaw members against said tapered internal surface in a normally inoperative position.

6. A connector assembly for connection onto center reinforcing means and strand means of a reinforced cable means with said center reinforcing means extending outwardly from a stripped end of said cable means, said connector assembly comprising a body section having an opening therein, a hollow shell extending outwardly from one end of said body section and having a tapered internal surface, first jaw means disposed along said surface toward an outer end of said hollow shell for gripping engagement with said strand means, second jaw means disposed along said surface adjacent said first jaw means and inwardly therefrom, force-driving means in said connector assembly and having one end adjacent said second jaw means, driving means driveable in said opening and engageable with said force-driving means thereby driving said force-driving means into engagement with said second jaw means with said second jaw means being driven along said tapered internal surface into engagement with said center reinforcing means and said second jaw means in turn driving said first jaw means into engagement with said strand means, and orienting means between said first and second jaw means orienting said first jaw means at an angular disposition with respect to said second jaw means.

7. A connector assembly for connection onto a cable means comprising a body section having a first and second opening therein, a hollow shell extending outwardly from one side of said body section and having a tapered internal surface, said second opening being axially aligned with a longitudinal axis of said hollow shell and said first opening being disposed at substantially right angles with respect to said second opening and in communication with each other, first and second jaw means movably disposed in said hollow shell in engagement with said tapered internal surface with said first jaw means disposed in front of said second jaw means, orienting means between said first and second jaw means orienting said first jaw means at an angular disposition with respect to said second jaw means, a force-driving member disposed in said body section for driving said jaw means along said internal surface, said force-driving member having a section disposed in said second opening in engagement with said second jaw means and with 7 said second opening defining guiding means for guiding said force -driving member and a portion of said section being disposed in said first opening, and driving means drivable into said first opening into engagement with said portion for driving said force-driving member.

8. An electrical connector comprising a hollow shell having a tapered internal surface, first jaw means and second jaw means disposed along said surface with said first jaw means being disposed in front of said second jaw means, orienting means between said first and second jaw means orienting said first jaw means at an angular disposition with respect to said second jaw means, forcedriving means disposed adjacent said second jaw means, and wedge means adapted to be driven against said force driving means with said force-driving means in turn driving said first and second jaw means along said tapered internal surface.

9. An electrical connector comprising a body member including a hollow shell having a tapered internal surface, first jaw means and second jaw means disposed along said tapered internal surface with said first jaw means being disposed in front of said second jaw means, orienting means disposed between said first and second References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,094,668 4/1914 McBride 24 -126 3,290,746 12/1966 Broske 17471XR 5,345,454 10/1967 Mixon -174 s4 FOREIGN PATENTS 624,775 1/1936 Germany.

DARRELL L. CLAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

P0405 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 56 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION P t LQLCJJQLL Dated J1me 2. 1970 Inventor) F. L. M'ainhaur at al It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

TN THE CLAIMS Claim 1, column 6, line 8,

after "two", delete "repair-s", insert SEALED rim-271970 QSEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. saumm, JR. Auesting Otfim'l' Omnniasioner of Patents AMP 2854 

